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Boxing, "the poor man's sport," has long given kids from America's roughest neighborhoods an opportunity to escape violence with violence. But with success in the ring comes new fights for which there is no training: champions are made and broken in the blink of an eye, and young men thrust into the spotlight are often ill-equipped for the fame, fortune, and hangers-on that accompany a title belt. And for many, the toughest bouts are fought during retirement, when health and financial issues begin to mount. Built around the stories of heavyweight legends Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins, who open up about their lives and careers as never before, CHAMPS balances these uncensored recollections with gorgeous reenactments, classic fight footage, and candid interviews with Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington, Ron Howard, Spike Lee, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent. More than just a sports documentary, CHAMPS examines what it means to pursue the American Dream through boxing, painting a picture of a controversial and unregulated sport in a moment of crisis.